In I&B, tool to monitor real-time public sentiment

The tool crawls Twitter, Facebook, blogs, news websites and public reactions on other forums to analyse the pattern of public opinion on various topics relevant to the news cycle of the day, said a source briefed about the deployment of the tool.

“The tool will improve through machine learning as it gains more insight every time it crawls through the web to draw a pattern of public sentiment,” said a source who was part of the team behind the development of the tool.

For example, sources revealed that the tool kept a watch on public sentiment over two major announcements — higher MSP for crops and national health protection scheme for 10 crore poor families — soon after Finance Minister Arun Jaitley unveiled them in his speech.

A team of technical experts drawn from IITs and IIMs and working for the office of I&B minister kept a watch on public sentiment on various other announcements in the Budget, sources said.

“The input is passed on to the relevant stakeholders. For example, the data analytics indicated some confusion in public comments on one of the announcements. It was duly communicated to the minister concerned to explain it at the first opportunity,” said a source.

“The relevant contextual phrases around issues that need to be monitored are provided to the tool to gauge the public sentiment by crawling the web. The real-time sentiments are captured for feedback to the government,” said the source.

Rollout of the tool holds significance as the government gears up for the 2019 general election. It will be used to gauge public sentiment to help government address major issues, a source suggested.